He’s still out there: Search continues for man who allegedly carved up his wife

He’s still out there: Search continues for man who allegedly carved up his wife

NEW YORK (PIX11) - Dartanyan Kingsberry is still out there. On June 28th he allegedly slashed his wife, Jennifer Altman, so viciously that she needed 27-hundred stitches.

Jennifer tells me police are looking into Kingsberry’s contacts. He’s been spotted in Queens. I’ve received calls from people claiming to have seen him on Long Island this past weekend. The NYPD won’t comment. But if you think you know where he is, call 1-800-577-TIPS.

The thing that’s bothering me is how can something like this happen? How does a man think it’s ever OK to abuse a woman? For some answers, I spoke with Liz Roberts. She’s the Chief Program Officer at Safe Horizon, a leading victim assistance organization. (www.safehorizon.org or 800-621-HOPE).

Here’s some of what she told me about the phenomenon of domestic violence:

“It’s learned behavior. Batterers observe what happens in their own families. They observe what their peers say…and they often really believe it is their right to behave in that way.”

“At the beginning what we often see is that there is jealousy and possessiveness.. The partner always wants to know where you are, who did you talk to, who did you see today, why were you late?”

“Early in the relationship the abuser will start to drive a wedge between their partner and their family and friends that support them. When somebody starts to feel more and more isolated from their family and friends because of their relationship, that’s often a warning sign.”

“Many survivors stay because of fear. But they also stay for a variety of reasons and its different for each person….They may be concerned about being homeless as a result of separating from the abuser and they may still love the person. They may feel a sense of loyalty….And then you have an abuser who makes apologies who makes promises to change and somebody who wants to believe them.”

The most important point is, if you’re a victim, THERE IS HELP! Call 311. Ask for the domestic violence hotline. You won’t even have to give your name. Contact Safe Horizon at safehorizon.org or 800-621-HOPE. You don’t have to put up with physical abuse.